Control mechanism for automobiles



March 23 1926. 1,578,244

v. HILLFORD CONTROL MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES I Filed Oct. 16, 1924 WWW/171M000, v gwvwboz.

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Improvements in Patented Mar. 23, 1926. 1

vmcnnr mnuonn, or NEWARK, new JERSEY.

CONTROL MECHA NTSM FOR AUTOMOBTLES.

Application filed October '16, 1924. Serial No. 744,078.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, VINCENT HILLFQRD, a citizen of Hungary, and resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Control Mechanisms for Automobiles, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to control mechanisms for automobiles.

The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the vital disadvan tage of'the arrangement on an automobile of the brake .control 'means'such. as the brake lever or the brake foot pedal, and the accelerator which forms a part of the fuel supplying and regulatin means of the motor of the automobile; the arrangement being such that it requires two separate and distinct operations, namely, the withdrawal of pressure being applied to the accelerator and its applicatlon to the brake pedal'by the same foot of the operator'to bring the automobile to astandstill or the not infrequent alternative of a collision with another automobile or edestrian with the possibility of great estruction and loss of life. The present invention contemplatesthe provision of means whereby the brakes of the automobile may be applied and the fuelto the engine cut off simultaneously with one foot of the operator in an instant, and at the proper time followed by the release of the brakes with the foot still in place-for the admission of fuel to the engine.

Another object of the'invention is to produce mechanism of the character mentioned as standard equipment of an automobile, 'or' in the nature of a device as an accessory to be applied in operative conjunction with the brake control part and the accelerator already on the automobile; means being provided to take care of the variance ofdistance' between the brake pedal and the ac-' celerator on one automo ile compared to another. Y v

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the particular construction and operation of parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 1s a sectional elevat1on m which is shown a conventional, form of a brake control foot pedal which is a part of the ordinary brake of an automobile, and a conventional form of accelerator which is part of the ordinary fuel supplying and regulating means of an automobile, and the device of the present invention combined with said brake control foot pedal and said accelerator.

'Figure 2 is a plan view of the rocker treadle with parts shown in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is an end view.

Figure 4 1s a perspect've view ofja modi Figure 5 is a detail sectional view ofthe actuator embodied by the device shown in- 10, which constitutes a art of'the ordinary brake ofamotor vehic e or automobile, an

accelerator 11, of the press type, which con- I as fied form of device used for actuating the] accelerator.

stitutes apart of the ordinary fuel supplymg and regulating means of the motor or engine of said motor'vehicle or automobile,

and means 12, carried by the pedal 10, for

facilitatingthe operation of the pedal and for actuating the fuel supply to the engine or torelease the-same to cut off the supply of fuel to slow the engine. It is to be understood that the usual hand throttle-is employed to start the engine. The pedal '10, m the presentinstance is mounted for rockingmovement to braking and non-braking positions on a shaft '13, and has a part 14 to which'is conthe accelerator '11 to increase nected the usual brake rod. Themeans 12 is arranged. at the upper end of the pedal 10. The means12 comprises a. rocker. 15 having. a stop 15', anda rib 16; and an actuator 17. The'rocker is connected for rocking movement by virtue of lugs 18 on the rocker an ear 19 on the edal 10, and a bolt 20, which'passes throug the apertures tread portion of the pedal and for actuating the actuator. The pedal has a stop 21 which coacts with the stop 15 in the lugs 18 and the ear 19. The rocker 14 serves as the on the rocker to limit the movement of the latter in'one .direction and thus 'give the desired rigidity for the proper operation of the pedal to braking posltion. T at 22, and a spring 23 is employed to hold the actuator normally in-icontact with the rib 16. On the same hub with the actuator 17 an additional arm-17' may also be e actuator 17 is plvotally connected to the pedal 10 as cured, inwardly of the actuator and below the ' non-braking position,

. capable of being moved into contact there with to impart pressure thereto to increase the fuel supply to the engine when the rocker-v14 is rocked forwardl and down- "wardly, as shownin dotted "linesat 155-,and

' normally my device is when it is desired to apply the brakes the pedal is mov d forwardly and downwardly W1 t l1 the stop 15f'in contact with the stop 21, as shown in its "dotted position at lO' and the accelerator 1 1 is released to assume a normal condition, therefore the su ply of fuel wil'lbe decreased with-the enginethrottled down. The r ockerl i has a ridge or upturned portion 24 against which the heel of the operators shoe abuts'to prevent the foot from slipping aswill "be understood.

It will be obvious from; inspecting the drawings and by the above description that in'the posi t-io'nshown with full lines'in Fig; 1, the operators foot resting lightly on the same. I

In case an acceleration (of the automobile is needed, the operator tilts his 'foot forwardly and brings the rocker 15 into a positionindicated by the dotted lines, asat 15", and thereby exertsa desired-amount of'p'ressure on accelerator 11-. When, on theothe'r hand, a sudden stopping of "the vehicle; is necessary, the whole of the pedal inech-a'nism 10 and rocker 1 will be moved into the dotted position indicated at ',,by a-s'udden full forced push'ofth'e leg of the operator, the rocker being automatically kept in its position shown with full lines in Fig. 1 and avoiding tne accelerator 11 which will keep the fuelsupply shut.

'- In the form of the-device for actuating the pedal and accelerator actiiator'shown in Figures 4 and 5, the tread'p'ortion 25 is wedge shaped in longitudinal section-to-conformto the interior wedge'shape of the attaching flanged plate 25. which'carries'an actuator 26 in-the nature of a 'plung'er 'oper able in a bore 27. A'spring 28 is di'sposed with one end against'a wall of the bore 27 and the opposite 'end'against a shoulder of means to actuate the usual arrangement and angles of the plunger; a nut 29" preventing the displacement {of the plunger.

ing downward pressure on the plunger .26, with a tilting motion of the the mechanism form of the invention.

What I claim is: 1. In a motor vehicle, in combination,

of the vehicle, means to control the fuel supply of the vehicle, a pivoted treadle on said first mentioned means whereby a direct pressure by the foot of the operator will cause a braking efi'ect on the vehicle, a normally inoperative connection between said "treadle and said fuel controlling means wherebyaforward tilting of the treadle by the toes of the operator will cause said means to increase the fuel supply to the vehicle, said connection comprising a transverse lever, pivoted on said treadle over said fuel controlling means and a spring to normally keep said lever out of engagement with said fuel controlling means.

2'. In a motor foot {lever the angular forward movement of which is designed to actuate the usual brake mechanism of the vehicle, a pivoted "-treadle on said "lever, cooperating stops on the 'li'eel part ofsaid treadle and on the brake lever, a transversal actuating lever pivoted on said forward or toe portion of said treadle, a spring to normally press said transverse brake lever underneath the lever against said treadle and said treadle against its stop on said brake lever, a fuel controlling element underneath said transverse lever normally out of contact with but being adapted to be actuated by the same when said. treadle is tilted forwardly by a pressure ofthe toes of the operator, the said brake lever and said treadle being such that a direct full pressure by the foot of the operator on the treadle will cause an angular forward the braking of the vehicle, the arc of the angular movement of said brake lever and the mechanisms thereon clearing said fuel qontrolling means.

brake mechanism vehicle having the usual- VINCENT HILLFORD.

5 In this form of device the accelerator is actuated by exert foot, when the mov'em'entof saidbrake lever and result in 

